Single cell lipid biology.

Lipids are major cell constituents endowed with astonishing structural diversity. The pathways responsible for the assembly and disposal of different lipid species are energetically demanding, and genes encoding lipid metabolic factors and lipid-related proteins comprise a sizable fraction of our coding genome. Despite the importance of lipids, the biological significance of lipid structural diversity remains largely obscure.

Assessment of the physiological performance of the invasive oriental shrimp Palaemon macrodactylus from an atypical marine population.

Since 2000, a well-established population of the invasive oriental shrimp Palaemon macrodactylus has been present in fully marine conditions in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean (~38° S). To assess the physiological performance of this atypical population restricted to fully marine conditions, we conducted a laboratory experiment in which individuals were transferred from 35 ‰S (local seawater) to 2 ‰S; 5 ‰S; 10 ‰S; 20 ‰S; 50 ‰S and 60‰ for short (6 h), medium (48 h), and long (>504 h) acclimation periods. We measured the time course response of relevant parameters in the shrimp's hemolymph; activity of Na, K-ATPase (NKA), and V-H-ATPase (VHA); and muscle water content.

Taking care of who cares: Evaluation of a training program for home palliative care professionals.

Objectives: To evaluate an enrichment training program targeted at home palliative care professionals in terms of its effects and participants' satisfaction. The program had 2 main aims: give voice to professionals' emotional fatigue and promote their personal resources.

Methods: One hundred twenty-three home palliative care professionals participated in 12 parallel training courses; each course consisted of four 3-hour meetings led by 2 trainers and involved about 10-15 participants.

An organelle-specific photoactivation and dual-isotope labeling strategy reveals phosphatidylethanolamine metabolic flux.

Phosphatidylethanolamine metabolism plays essential roles in eukaryotic cells but has not been completely investigated due to its complexity. This is because lipid species, unlike proteins or nucleic acids, cannot be easily manipulated at the single molecule level or controlled with subcellular resolution, two of the key factors toward understanding their functions. Here, we use the organelle-targeting photoactivation method to study PE metabolism in living cells with a high spatiotemporal resolution.